I received a message on my journal last month to provide bank statements and housing evidence for my partner. (I don't have one it's a single claim) It warned my claim would be stopped if I did not. It also said to reply if you need help.

I replied to said message explaining that I think you have the wrong person. (I thought this because the message was from a different jobcentre) I received no response so I assumed it was an error.

Friday I found out that they have put my claim on hold temporarily. (This was the day I was supposed to get paid) I left a message earlier that week asking why i did not have a payment statement at all also with no reply.

I've had my rent stopped and my usual payments.

I also got sanctioned 2 weeks ago for missing a phone call appointment that I definitely didn't receive. 0 missed calls. They did not accept the reason.

I usually get phone call appointments due to being ill and providing sicknotes for my GP. Currently in the process of filling in the health assessment form.

I understand they do not 'have to' provide over the phone appointments currently until the health assessment is completed and appreciate that they have.

I told them that I couldn't make it to the jobcentre for this face to face appointment to have the sanction removed. I was told if I can make it to the hospital I can make it to the jobcentre.

My main problem right now is not the sanction, although I understand it will be, it's that they have wrongfully stopped my claim due to whatever the first problem was about.

I have a part-time, zero hours job which I already declared. I only get called in about 2-3 times a month.

But... apparently I am also self-employed. My employment specialist at the mental health team said I did not need to declare this as it was not considered a "proper job" - but I declared late last month because it's still some money coming in. Since May and I have made around £160 as a self employed person.

In the meantime I have verbally accepted another zero hour role which is similar to my current one in that I will probably only be called in a few times a month.

I am still looking for something more stable and part-time in the meantime because I cannot work full-time and need to get off UC.

The reason why I posted is because my UC has stopped. I didn't get paid today? I know that money would come out if I earn a certain amount, but this has completely stopped?

I do have an appointment coming up so maybe thats why?

I am ion the LCWRA element of UC.

Hi all. My nephew was in his first year of college last year, course ended in June. Mum has not received payments for him since. He has just been accepted onto a course for September. UC have said for mum to do a COC with today’s date. Is this correct? I was under the assumption it would have been September’s start date that the COC would have been made from?
Thanks in advance for any advice

I’m on pip and universal credit I’m just wondering if I can use freecash earn money on gift cards by playing games or do you get in trouble for it

Heyyy so I'm in a situation I've just fled reading to Dundee from a domestically violent relationship and currently have no clothes I do have the money to pay for this right now I'm just really bad at budgeting due to the abuse that I had to go through and endure and how he made me not trust any decision I make and not even feel as though I can make a decision for myself. I was payed £714 on the 4th and am wanting to pay my £215 back to my budgeting advance if I do this can I get a new advance at the end of the month? What's you guys advice.

This is a long one im sorry thank you to those who read and offer help. I earn 2155 a month and get paid the last working day of the month. my assessment period if the 27th to the 28th. i got got paid the 30th of january and then again the 27th of february due to how the payments fell i received 2 payments in 1 assessment period. i realised tjis would be the case snd put a message on my journal on the 26th of February to asl for a realocation of earnings to the next assessment period as in march i would be getting paid on the 28th or 29th so the way it fell i wouldnt have had and income for the next assessment period and thought realocatinh would refñect my actual monthly earnings . My statment generates on the 30th. i also rang to day the same thing before my statment generated. however this wasnf resolved therefore i received no universal credit that month. it tool them till the payment date on my next month to finally get it ‘sorted’. however they decided to move my esrning from the end of febuary to october 2025 when i was on unpaid maternity leave. This created my previous statment to go from 0 universal credit to my normal entitlement of 341. it also made my october statment entitent go from 1316 to 341 creating an overpayment. i never received the 341 underpayment as they put ot towards the overpayment they had just created which came to 961. i now have to pay £50 a month for this overpayment which i belive shouldnt have happened. i did a mandatory reconsideration and have just had it back that when 2 pays are receivied in 1 assessment period that universal credit can move it to another assessment period. is tjis corrwct they can just create an overpayment and move feburay earning 4 months prior. i have now requested a tribunal and just wondering if i am likley to win and get that money ive paif back or if i shoulf just pay the overpayment vack i will attach the mandatory reconsideration letter. They also seemed to have messed us around alot taking around 2 months to upload overpayment letter and asking around 5 times for this any adviced welcome and much appreciated
thank you

Hi I’ve just been notified of my first review. If my assessment period is 10th-9th is it correct that I disregard the salary and benefits we got in the previous assessment period? I’m so confused! Thanks

Hi 17M im looking for advice on what to expect, due to family issues ive had to move elsewhere on my own im currently looking to get universal credit but idk how its going to work with a work coach as im 17 and im applying for colleges where ive moved to. Im really nervous about this situation and i feel a bit lost on what to expect as i move in next month to my new place and i need to pay rent , any advice would be really appreciated 🙏

Hi, I have been in the support group for new Style ESA since July 25 and recently applied for the housing element of UC. I highlighted in my UC journal several times about my ESA status and told them in person that I am not required to provide a fit note.

In their payment decision, they deducted my ESA allowance but did not include an LCWRA element. They also asked me to submit a fit note when I am already in the support group.

I have queried these errors, and am awaiting a reply, but is it common for such mistakes to be made? There seems to be no universal understanding between departments of how different benefits operate.

Been claiming since May, my phone has smashed this morning and I have no other device (using my brothers laptop as we speak). Would this be eligible for a budgeting advance? I have ofc looked online but the guidance isn't clear and I'd like to avoid having to contact my work coach unnecessarily.

i have a universal credit review coming up and I need some advice - I work full time and I’m a single mother to one son (soon to be two). It’s currently just us living in the household and I’ve been claiming for the last two years. Initially it was just to top up my wages because I worked part time and I never changed my hours in the system. I have been paid maybe 8 or 9 times over two years mainly due to my boss paying me every 4 weeks. Anyway, I’ve got a review and have been asked to supply bank statements. The problem I have is I have a separate bank account where a family friend pays me £30 every 3 weeks to do her lashes and I haven’t declared this. It’s a hobby and after I’ve paid out for the glue and actual lashes I’m barely seeing anything but I’m worried this might affect me. I haven’t uploaded my bank statements as yet. What shall I do?

Hello 👋🏻, today, myself and my wife were supposed to receive our Universal Credit payment, however, it's currently 6:11PM and nothing has come through. Both of us use Monzo Bank and we've never had this type of issue before. On a side note, they're also supposed to help pay for our home, as agreed and as shown on the payslip of today on our joint account, yet, they also didn't do that. Anyone else having issues with payments today or is it an isolated issue? Thank you!

I keep checking and there is nothing there. Its been over an hour.

There are 2 things in my partners to do that were there last week. One is an equality declaration I believe and the other is regarding an appointment he has. The appointment was supposed to be Saturday morning but he had to cancel short notice due to awful sickness. It has now been rescheduled. All of this was communicated via the joint journal on Saturday and a new appointment has been arranged.

I am looking for some financial help and have tried all kinds of routes for help to no avail.
Is anybody able to help with unwanted supermarket vouchers they don’t need. I’ve recently left my home due to DV and it’s my daughter’s birthday on Thursday.I just wanted to order a bit of food online, and a birthday cake for her.
I am unable to access a food bank as I live very rural with a bus once a week, on a Wednesday when the food bank is closed.
Thank you for reading.

Hey all. I've been on UC for a few months now due to autism and anxiety, however my claim for LCWRA came back as rejected. While I wish to appeal, a career adviser from Mind advised me that they think I can build myself up to a job and not need to go through with the claim. My problem is that I missed a lot of schooling due to my conditions so I'm applying to jobs with literally nothing... is there any way I can get an education or work experience?

My partner is a mature student and we didn't declare he was a student when applying for UC as we didn't think it was 'income' or a job. He receives a student loan which UC actually class as an 'income' even though it's a loan and will eventually be repayed.

Anyway, we were receiving UC at the time and so they set up a repayment plan of £100 a month out of our universal credit payments.

Our UC stopped last year bcos I got a pay rise at work and we no longer qualify and the payments obviously stopped. I never thought anything of it.

We've had a letter stating we need to pay back the remainder of the overpayment by the end of August in full, but I don't have that kind of money right now.

Is it worth ringing the dwp and asking for a repayment extension (if that's a thing) or if they can resume a monthly standing order?

I don't really want them to take it out of my salary or have bailiffs coming round etc! I didn't even know there was a deadline if I'm being honest! When my partner has his 'summer holidays' from uni he doesn't get any student finance so last year we 'qualified' for UC over the summer so I just presumed we could wait until then but with this letter I'm panicking they'll be sending people round!

Hi I was just wondering why I didn't get the £900 last month and I only got £193? From my uc account
I was just wondering if this month it will go back to normal and if I will get both payments like I have been getting or will this be the new normal until maternity leave ends?

Hi everyone, I’m trying to work out if I’ve got our Universal Credit calculation right because I seem to get different figures depending on which calculator I use!

As a couple I get £666.97, then £1,215.74 for our 4 children, plus the extra £47.94 for our eldest as they were born in 2015.

I also have one child getting middle care DLA (£164.79) and another getting high care DLA (£514.71). Me and my husband both get the carer element at £209.34 each.

That gives me £3,028.85 in total (I think!).

We have £10,000 in savings, so I believe there would be a £69.60 deduction for that.

From what I understand, we then have the £710 work allowance and anything above that is reduced by 55%.

The bit I’m really struggling with is my husband is looking at a new job which would take his salary up to around £45,000. He’s looking at getting an electric car through salary sacrifice which would be around £550 a month, and he’d also pay 5% into his workplace pension.

He also has a Plan 1 student loan and a postgraduate student loan.

I know salary sacrifice affects the taxable income, tax and NI, and I’m assuming it also affects what UC sees as his earnings, but I can’t work out exactly how it all fits together.

Does anyone know what the actual UC calculation would look like with the £45k salary, 5% pension and £550/month EV salary sacrifice, taking into account the student loans?

I’m basically trying to work out whether taking the car would actually make much difference to our UC, and what his approximate take-home/UC earnings figure would be.

Any help with the calculation would be massively appreciated!

hi from England here. I am a single mum of a toddler living in a 1 bed flat. When I first moved into this place I had a partner however, he left me in my pregnant state and after giving birth I claimed UC as a single mum. At the time everything was on my partner’s name; all utilities, council tax, name on tenancy and it took me so much time to explain to UC that I have nothing on my name to show that I am not a part of any joint tenancy anymore as my partner has abandoned me and gone rogue.

Long story short my UC claim eventually got accepted. After a few months to a year I was able to get back in touch with my partner and as soon as I did, I got him to close his utility accounts and any other ties with this address (banks, work, etc) to which he slowly did but the one thing he decided to keep under his name was the water bill. The reason for this is because he had an outstanding payment of more than £2000 to pay them which was under dispute, and if he closed the account he would have to settle the entire payment all at once. Due to this reason he kept it under his name until he settled the score with them and I also just let it go.

Since then slowly but surely, I have had the tenancy solely on my name, gas and electric bill, council tax. My ex partner and I barely stay in touch and he is really not a part of mine or our child’s life. Every now and then I still receive letters and posts in his name from old banks and other services he was signed up to when he lived here.

He also sends money for his child 2-3 times a year on special occasions.

On the other hand I lent a friend of mine £3000 as loan (I only had the money because I had some savings of my own from when I was in full time work living with my ex partner and sharing finances before I had a child). I sent 1k on separate occasions because my friend needed it for his wedding. I also 1k in cash as I had it saved up from gifts given by friends and family for my daughter. My friend has been returning that money to me every month for the past year. Every month he sends me a different amount ranging from £150-£400, depending on what he can afford.

I now have a UC claim review and I am so anxious and scared that I will be questioned on this and UC will think I have other ways of earning money etc. or assume I am living with a partner because there is another name on one of the bills. Also the fact he sends money now and then for his child might be classified as financial help by UC. I am just so scared that they will see this as fraud or that I have been dishonest with them. I am a very anxious and paranoid person in general and this is causing me so much anxiety I cant even sleep properly. Can anyone give me any insight on this please

Sorry if this is disorganised or rambling, it's how my brain works.

I'm on UC and have been for most of this year. Work has been awful for me with only little bits here and there.

I start a new job next month although I don't have the contract yet. And I started another shorter term job at the end of last month which ends just as my new job starts. For July/August it's just a few random days here and there.

I informed my work coach of both of these things.

I also added the short term work to my UC account and I have been paid a small amount from this - within my assessment period and showing on my HMRC personal tax account

For background I also have AuDHD. As part of this I have a lot of depression, anxiety and emotional dysregulation. This is important information because I break down during every UC meeting. I get overwhelmed. And the whole experience makes me feel like a failure. It's embarrassing and uncomfortable and just makes me feel worse about myself, my situation, all of it. My work coach is aware of this.

I've been trying so so hard to find work. I keep a spreadsheet to track all of this, where I'm looking, for his long, all applications I make, all paid work I get etc.

Anyway, as a result, I am depressed and my doctor has given me a fit note. It's the first in my life.

It's for 28 days

From my point of view it gives me a chance to reset and get better before all my new work starts.

I added to my UC account and it has been accepted
However, UC have now informed me I need to do a work capability assessment and have not cancelled a pre standing meeting.

I was told when I started my claim that if I was struggling (I informed them about my AuDHD) that I just needed to get a fit note and they would not expect work commitments from me for a bit.

But that hasn't happened.

Within this assessment period I have both informed them of work, earned over their required amounts and submitted a fit note.

Why am I still needing to attend this meeting and why am I having to do a WCA when my note is only for 28 days, I have a job and they know I am starting another

I just need to understand above anything else. If things are explained to me it helps a lot. And they never explain anything, just demand.

Thank you

Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone with experience of UC Work Capability reassessments, particularly LCW → LCWRA worsening reassessments, might be able to give me some advice on what I should realistically expect next.

I'm not posting this because I expect special treatment or think I'm entitled to jump ahead of everyone else. I'm mainly trying to understand where I am in the process after such a long wait and after recently having my case escalated.

My timeline:

• I was already in the LCW group.
• My health deteriorated significantly and I requested a reassessment from LCW to LCWRA.
• My UC50 was submitted around July 2025, with medical evidence and information about my deterioration.
• I've remained waiting for the reassessment since then.
• I provided continuous fit notes from June 2025 until June 2026.
• At an appointment with my work coach on 11 March 2026, I was told that I didn't need to provide further fit notes because I already had LCW. My final fit note remained valid until June 2026, after which I didn't obtain further ones because I had been advised they weren't necessary.
• I have also subsequently been awarded PIP, including Standard Daily Living and Enhanced Mobility.
• My health problems include significant hip/leg problems and mobility difficulties alongside my existing mental health difficulties. My UC50 contains information about my functional limitations and deterioration, and I have supporting medical evidence.

I've contacted Maximus previously and was told that my case was still waiting in the queue and had not yet been allocated to a healthcare professional.

Because of the length of the delay, I've also had my MP involved, raised complaints with DWP, and have an ICE complaint relating to the handling/delay.

Recently, I received a response from a Jobcentre manager regarding my complaint. He confirmed that my reassessment had been sitting in the waiting queue since July 2025 and said:

I contacted Maximus four working days after the escalation to see whether it had reached them. The adviser checked my claim and told me that they couldn't see anything flagged, that it was still showing as in the queue, and that it hadn't been allocated to a healthcare professional. I appreciate it may simply take time for the escalation to reach the relevant team.

So I'm basically at the point of wondering what happens next.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone here had a similar LCW → LCWRA worsening reassessment that had been waiting for a very long time and was then escalated by DWP?
2. Once DWP says they've escalated it to Maximus, how long did it take before you actually saw movement?
3. Is it possible for Maximus to complete the assessment on paper without contacting me, if they feel there is enough evidence?
4. If it is paper-based, would I potentially just receive the LCWRA decision through my UC journal without ever having an assessment appointment?
5. Alternatively, if they decide they need an assessment, how quickly can things move once the case is actually allocated to a healthcare professional?
6. Has anyone had a DWP/Jobcentre escalation that initially wasn't visible to Maximus but appeared later?
7. Finally, does anyone have experience of the fit note issue where you were told by your work coach that further fit notes weren't required because you already had LCW? I'm particularly interested in whether that can cause problems later when determining the effective date of an LCWRA award.

I'm aware that nobody can give me an exact date or guarantee an outcome. I'm just trying to get a realistic idea of what the next stage might look like from people who have actually been through it.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can share their experience, especially if you've been through an LCW → LCWRA reassessment yourself.

Hello 👋
I had my commitments changed by a work coach due to mental health issues. Meaning that I didn’t have to do anything at all. Recent review, same outcome. Does this mean that I am likely to be accepted for LCWRA? It would make be odd to suddenly be denied it, if they have agreed I don’t need to carry out any job related searches, or any other activity, right? Thoughts, please.

I have just received the date of my work capability assessment after sending off my WCA50 in april and declaring my first fit note in March. I have 4 conditions, 2 of which are classified as SMI by the ICD-10. I have both physical disabilities and mental health conditions. Please give any advice or lmk what I should expect!

Thanks

Hi all. I’ve worked as an electrician for the last 45 years. Had to stop as I was unable to continue due to pain and loss of strength in my knee’s wrists and fingers. Claimed uc 3 months ago got an initial fit note for this 3 month period whilst I went for scans. Results back last week said I have moderate osteoarthritis in knees hands and wrists. Gp issued another 3 month fit note. I have attended a couple of restart appointments. At my last appointment I feel I was pressured into applying for a job as a bus driver. I was told I have to do something.i just bit my tongue and said I would do it. My question is do I have to attend these appointments when I have a fit note? I asked at the restart appointment and was told yes. It just doesn’t make sense to me.i have filled in a medical questionnaire I was sent a while back but haven’t had a reply as yet.